The Bishan Gay in 1988

There hasn't been any new material on this chap since 2015, but oddly, in all the talk about him, almost no one mentions a prior conviction he had:

"Ex-relief teacher faces two gross indecency charges
The Straits Times, 25 September 1988, Page 15

A MAN was yesterday accused of acts of gross indecency to two secondary school boys while he was a relief teacher in a Bukit Timah school early this month.

In the dock was Cheng Hoe Huat, 26, who appeared in court with his lawyer about an hour late.

Cheng allegedly asked the victims, aged 14 and 15, to remove their shorts and underwear in a classroom at about 5 pm on Sept 2 and proceeded to masturbate them.

The offence carries a maximum punishment of two years' jail.

Mr N. S. Kang, for Cheng, said he had just been briefed and asked for a four-week adjournment.

Cheng's $2,000 bail was extended until further mention of his case on Oct 21."

For those who are unacquainted with this fella:

All You Need to Know about the Bishan Gay - Guidesify

Man gets 12 months for molesting boy in toilet at Bishan Junction 8, appealing

"Rape" and metaphorical language

Christine Leigh Langtree's answer to Offensiveness: Is it now socially OK for a boy to write a joke about rape on a girl's Facebook wall? - Quora

(the question was on whether posting "WALL RAPE!!" on someone's wall is acceptable)

"I don't like the emerging alternative meaning of 'rape' and I told my 21 year old daughter that several times when she informed me she was going to rape some thing or another - one time, it was a Big Mac - she meant she was very very hungry.

She asked me if I was REALLY going to 'kill' the dog next door if it didn't stop barking.

Every generation must find words that offend in order to rebel. What are they to do when their parents use the words f*** and c*** as a matter of course?

The wall post in question is not a threat of physical violence.

How do we feel about using the common expression as a joke: I might as well just kill myself? I've had a close family member commit suicide and for a while, I found it extremely offensive - but I never thought the world should change for me. Offence is taken not given.

For the record, I am a rape survivor ."


This reminds me of an instance in Secondary School where I commented on possible sexual connotations of "fuck you".

I was told that there was a difference between "fuck you" and "I want to fuck you".


Another answer:

"Rape, as defined by Encarta...

3. violent destructive treatment: the violent, destructive, or abusive treatment of something "the rape of a beautiful stretch of countryside"...

Definition 3, however, has a more 'casual' less severe, definition. I hear it used by both men and women on daily basis. This definition has been used in literature for a long time to refer to things being corrupted or destroyed. This is definitely the least common of the definitions (barring 4), and some people may not be aware of its prevalence within certain circles. It is extremely common in gaming (video games) crowds and even fairly common in today's secondary and post secondary education crowds. Eg: "I am going to rape that English exam." Usually appropriate. "I am going to rape my English professor." Inappropriate. "I am going to rape my English professor on Call of Duty." Creepy, but fundamentally appropriate.

Definition 3 is a form of English evolving...

Rape, murder, and idiot have evolved to mean different things in different contexts. If I say, "My roommate is an idiot, I am going to kill him," because he let flatware go down the garbage disposal, I am not implying any threat and I know he is not a true idiot. It is a figure of speech. This is the direction rape is heading...

The casual use of words like rape and murder may bother some of the older crowd, but so did beads, weed, and hip-hop music. This is just an example of the status quo changing."


My answer:

"It is definitely socially unacceptable.

To "wall rape" someone is to "completely and utterly dominate a Facebook wall with numerous posts".

From the information provided in the question, the boy in question only wrote one post, in capital letters though it was. He thus doesn't fit the definition of "wall rape" and has abused the term, and is thus subject to social opprobium.

I used to write on the walls of people new to Facebook: "No more wall virginity!". This was before Timeline, before status updates and before mini-feeds, when walls were purely for friends to write on (yes, kids, I'm oldddddddddddd). This was not a sexual come-on or threat to take their maidenheads (assuming they were still virgins)."

Hey, at least they still teach them how to use a condom

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." - Aldous Huxley

***

My attention has been drawn to RI's Sexuality Education syllabus.

Since I am busy, let me just make some observations based on fragments:

"It is premised on the importance of the heterosexual married couple forming a nuclear family as the basic unit of society, and respect for the values and beliefs of the different ethnic and religious communities on sexuality issues"

This is shocking bigotry against extended families, especially since Asian Values emphasise the value of extended families!

Also: goodie - if you're Mormon you can have multiple wives! Too bad for the feminists, though.


"Recognize the consequences of excessive masturbation"

Feed them cornflakes!


"Recognize that there are different ways of inviting sexual intimacy, namely through dressing, speech, actions and choice of dating venues"

Doesn't no mean no?


"Understand that same-gendered sex is against the law in Singapore"

So much for non-enforcement.


"Appreciate sensible dressing and understand how dressing can be interpreted differently by various people"

Slutwalk! Woo hoo!


"Understand there are consequences in any decision one makes regarding sexual intercourse"

Indeed. "No" has consequences too.


"Practise negotiating one’s way out of a negative situation by applying skills learnt from Lesson 2"
(Lesson 2 being: "practise responding to persuation assertively")

I can imagine how the roleplays go...

"Let's not use a condom"
"Sure!"

And among same-sex students too!


Of course the 17-18 year olds have something too:

"Students will learn the importance of having realistic expectations about their appearance and be more confident about their body image"

(this should come a lot earlier than 18)

For those who want to buy old RI PE clothing

An email that found its way to my mailbox:


Dear all

The aunty who has been running our old bookshop (Year 5-6 section) needs to clear all her stock as she is closing shop and many of us are helping her to
minimize her losses by buying her stationery.

Today in my conversation with her, I asked her what items specific to RI she has to clear. She told me that she has more than 100 plus Raffles PE shorts
(new ones with Raffles logo not the short MBT ones )and 100 plus Raffles T-shirts (loose cut size 40—44)which no one outside RI will want to buy. She says old students used to like the loose cut ones and used to tell her they like to sleep in it. But nowadays the students buy the tight fit ones so she cannot sell them. I gather that her losses will be significant.

She says she would appreciate it if we tell any old students or present students who want to buy them. If you are on Facebook with former students it might be helpful to inform them that she has to clear out by mid November. Or perhaps you may want a pair of Raffles shorts or T-shirt for yourself! (Hey, we are a brand name, after all!)

Thanks

RI/RJC alumni particulars harvesting

A message I got on FB:

"If you know of RI/RJC alumni who are interested in receiving updates on RI and alumni news, kindly direct them to the following RI Announcement page: http://www.ri.edu.sg/main/announcementdetail/?id=81, where they can access a link to update their contact information and particulars."

More directly, the link is to a Google Spreadsheet here.

Raffles Stands with Jairus

Dear Raffles Alumnus,

As you might already have heard or read from the papers, Jairus Ang Jun Heng from the Class of 2009 and former boys' captain of the school's Canoeing team was attacked by a gang of robbers while on his way home from Kallang MRT station on 29th May at around midnight. Jairus sustained many injuries and had to undergo many operations.

Six weeks on, most of his wounds have healed and he has been discharged. However, his four fingers were amputated. Despite the physical and emotional pain, Jairus remains a fighter- staying positive and refusing to give up on his dreams.

The school has launched a Fund, open to contributions from the school community, to help his family with the medical bills and cost of future therapy and treatment. Cash and cheque contributions are welcome. Please address cheques to “Raffles Institution” with “Funds for Jairus” on the back, and mail it in to the school. For cash donations, please walk in to drop off your donation at the Student Affairs Centre at Blk D of Raffles Institution (Yr 5-6 campus) anytime between 8 am to 5.30 pm.

Over and above financial support, the Fund is a token of the school's undivided support for a fellow Rafflesian during these difficult times. Let us stand with Jairus and his family, so they may know that they are not alone in the long journey to recovery that lies ahead.

Thank you very much for your kind attention and generous support. For more information, please contact Canoeing Teacher Mentor, Mr Koh Say Yong at sayyong.koh@ri.edu.sg or Girls' Canoeing Captain 2008-09, Ms Quek Xin Er at quek_xin_er@yahoo.com.

Regards,
Raffles Alumni Portal Administrator
Raffles Institution
One Raffles Institution Lane
Singapore 575954


On my suggestion, they hve also set up a Paypal account:

"Good news! our school recently set up a PayPal payment facility. Our registered email address with PayPal is peggy.lee@ri.edu.sg. So if you have a Paypal account, you can make a donation to "Fund for Jairus""

Bishan Gay

An RI boy poses with the Bishan Gay

(From the Bishan Gay Facebook Page)

"If you haven't found something strange during the day, it hasn't been much of a day." - John A. Wheeler

***

Email FAIL:


Subject: Note to Class of 1999 Batch Reunion - 4 Jul 09 (Sat) at 7:30pm at the Albert Hong Hall

Message: Some of you may have read in the news about the two new H1N1 cases at the RI Boarding House. I would like to assure you that these cases have not affected the preparations for our Batch Reunion and with the school’s support and blessing, we will be going ahead with the reunion as planned this Saturday...

Should you feel unwell on the day of the Batch Reunion, I would urge you to consider giving the event a miss as a precaution to assist us in minimising the spread of any illnesses. In particular, if you have travelled to the list of countries listed in the table below, I would encourage you to consider not attending the event as well...



[Transcription of image:

MOH Website: Countries / Regions with Community Spread and / or known to have Exported Cases (Caa 30 Jun 09)...

Singapore]

Random tidbit:

"Auspicium melioris aevi" does NOT translate as "Hope for a better age" but "Omen of a better age"

"Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading." - G. M. Trevelyan

***

PPBI: the tchs/acs/ri boys joke is

if a girl and a guy walk into an LT and there is only one seat left
the tchs guy will snatch the seat
the ri guy will offer the seat
the acs guy will ask her to sit on his lap
or something

Me: HAHAHAHAHA

PPBI: sorry
it should be the other way around

the ri guy will snatch the seat
the tchs guy will offer the seat
the acs guy will ask her to sit on his lap

Me: gah


Someone else: you have so many blog posts tagged "sedition"
that i won't know which one to blame
the day u disappear.


Someone: nah he's terribly bust
busy

Me: cheh I thought busty

Someone: WAHAHAAHHAAHAH

no gabriel, no one can rival you


Someone else: gabriel
i need advice

give me 3 good reasons why you don't have a religion

Me: you don't need 3, just 2

1) there's no evidence that gods exist
2) even if gods exist, there's no reason to worship them

is a girl trying to convert you? hurr hurr

Someone else: indeed, you are quite prescient

i have less problems with reason (1.), but plenty of problems with reason (2.)

but i wonder if the problem arises due to my understanding of the word "worship". perhaps it means less of "throwing yourself at the feet of someone", but rather "to adoringly respect and honour"?

sigh, gabriel. girls.

Me: "the only folly of man is women"

Someone else: haha
what do you think of my point about "worship"?

Me: well why would mere existence require respect and honour?
and worship in the divine sense includes obedience as well

Someone else: maybe it's because God's a role model?

if we use the classic Christian framing of this as a father-son relationship?
so we respect and honour our father, and obey him because he is wise

Me: that depends on the attributes of these gods

I wouldn't respect an abusive, drunkard father
whose sole contribution to my life was spawning me

Someone else: and as a splendid legerdemain, if the message we're getting is perverse, then it's not the "true" message?

Me: that's begging the question
in more ways than one:

- assuming the existence of beings
- assuming they are good

Someone else: why not hold both to be true? from a personal perspective, they can both be valid

Me: they are theoretically possible
but we do not have reasons to believe that they are the case

it's also theoretically possible that an omnipotent but totally evil god exists
(in fact that would fit the facts a lot better)

Someone else: sigh, Gabriel. i've walked into the worst possible outcome. non-Christian boy meets hardcore Christian girl.

i'm wondering, from a practical perspective, whether the church is the best bet for long term stability

it offers you a doctrine, philosophical pondering within its parameters, a social life and support within its community, fairly sensible aspects of decency, etc

Me: well communism brought stability to the USSR
except that there was stagnation as well

almost everyone would want to know if their spouse was cheating on them
even if it is not good for long term stability

"it offers you a doctrine, philosophical pondering within its parameters, a social life and support within its community, fairly sensible aspects of decency, etc"

so does Singapore :P

Someone else: and most importantly, it offers you a girl you like

Me: also I'm not sure that one can choose to believe something
without causing cognitive dissonance
and attendant schizophrenia

see
this is one big reason why religion continues on
female mate choice

if she's really worth going for, she'll be able to accept you as a non-christian

Someone else: precisely
i'm trying to reframe the problem

i think that i've come across a solution
i think i believe in God

therefore, i can posit myself as a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyy doubtful Christian
but a Christian nonetheless
ahah!

Me: err
are you framing this just to get the girl?

muslims believe in 'god' also
but it'd be a stretch to call them christians

you could say the same (disingenously) about hindus and other polytheists, in fact

Someone else: to be very honest, it is very very tempting to collapse into religion

Me: it is very tempting to get hooked on heroin or to become a drunkard too

Someone else: personally, i think islam and christianity perfectly compatible, but that is for another day
haha

Me: religions aren't even compatible with themselves
and certainly not reality

Someone else: how gabriel how

Me: well, if you think you can lie to yourself, you can try
but I don't think it's good for your mental health
and it's very dishonest. like taking from the church collection tray and justifying it as not theft by saying you need the money

Someone else: i know what you mena

religion does have a remarkable effect on its believers though
i'm talking about moderate, sensible believers

incredible amounts of faith and conviction, while maintaining a moderate (i.e. non-proselytising) outlook

Me: err
actually proselytisation is part of the christian's responsibility

as for faith
"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything."


HWMNBN: apparently they kissed and made up (ie XXX and her guy)

and going from the night before of: “i feel so stupid for loving that asshole who doesn’t care of rme”
to: “i love him so much i can give up everything except him” the next afternoon

at this we can both solemnly utter in unison: “...women”

"I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way." - Franklin P. Adams

***

RT @mrbrown: "Rushed home last night, earlier than usual, cos the wife sms-ed she was feeling hot. Turns out she was talking about the weather."

RT @eisen: "My friend's MSN nick: "The word 'believe' hides within itself a 'lie'". Nice"

I always thought the RGS SLUTs (Student Leaders Under Training) were apocryphal, but I've been hearing conflicting stories about whether this was an official term or an unofficial one.

I'm quite sure those who diss bipartisanism now were whining loudly when Dubya steamrolled them. The key idea here: 'partisanism is alright if we can do it, but the Republicans must be bipartisan'

The crime of "criminal homicide of an unborn child" is extremely puzzling, given that abortion does not fall under this category.

I went for a Humanism meetup and the contrast with an Atheist meetup was apparent: not just in size but also gender ratio. One person commented that she was attracted by the "safe" environment, which speaks to the bad reputation that atheism has. This is not helped by some atheists claiming that Humanists are hypocrites; as a comment goes: "I am convinced by science that evolution is true just as I am convinced by psychology that Dawkins is his own worst enemy. He acts like a crazed uncle who has got you cornered. You may agree with him completely, but you still want to get as far away from him as soon as possible."

On rootkit paranoia: "How do I know I removed the entire infection? I don't. To be completely sure, I'd have to wipe the computer clean. Even then, I could entertain scenarios about malware hiding in BIOS updates or obscure hardware storage locations." (sounds like DNS poisoning)


That too much human rights caused the current financial crisis is the newest evil of "Western Values" that I've heard, but it's not a surprising view for Singaporeans to hold.

CNA outside Singapore looks very different from inside it; it has mostly Asian news and very little Singapore news. Yet, since it is seen as a propaganda machine by foreign governments it is hard for it to break into markets.


"Your account has been trespassed!" - FAIL phishing email

An email which appeared to come from NTUC Income was marked out by Hotmail as a Phishing Scam. At first I thought this was proof that Singaporean companies had made it in the world, since people wanted to phish their account-holders, but then I realised the e-mail was genuine and Hotmail was flagging it because the link to update your profile went to a dodgy-looking URL: http://61.14.95.46/uiPemail/PEmailInsLog.asp?data=RRPOPPM; FAIL!


More aphorisms: "Women like to screw themselves up."
"Honesty is to a woman what a small dick is to a guy - neither can abide it"

I saw a 7-year-old who'd mastered the art of camwhoring. Gah.

Before meals girls always like to complain they are "very hungry". After them they like to comment that they are "very full".

Someone I know said she was becoming more bimbotic to be popular. This is sad.


Spizza delivers! There're no longer no non-Halal pizza deliveries!

Putting skim milk and low fat yogurt in an ice cream smoothie is like having Diet Coke in your supersized McDonalds meal.


Vehicles on Pulau Ubin have license plates starting with "PU" (presumably, "Pulau Ubin").

Even on Pulau Ubin, you find PRCs working in the restaurants.

When you come back on the boat from Ubin you must go through an X-ray screening. We can blame either Malaysian smugglers or oyster poachers for this.

"Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way." - Jane Austen

***

I wonder what excuses the Peak Oil crowd are coming up with now, after their crowing not so many months ago.

It is not hard to find proof of the perfidy of humanity and the misery of the human condition, but when you see it in those you know it is doubly saddening.

MFM theorises most jazz musicians are male because jazz requires a lot of improvisation. Someone else points out that it's the same for Early Music.

Denigrate comes from the Latin dēnigrātus/dēnigrāre meaning to blacken, from "de" (completely) and "nigr(āre)" (to make black). More racism in the English language!!!

Lee Kuan Yew is a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour. Uhh.

Except for Chickens and Rats, even female domestic animals aren't allowed on Mount Athos. Meh.

It seems all foreign cultural performances in Singapore are expensive. I heard tickets to see Frances Yip in Sydney went for a flat price of $28. Maybe Singaporeans are just suckers.

RT @mrbrown: "Malaysia receives their first Scorpene submarine, the KD We Boleh. I hear it will fire Proton torpedos and run on palm oil"

I saw a woman whose tattoos extended down into her cleavage. Her tattoo artist must be very skilful(and her weight must not changed much since she got them)

"If you remember Flooz, Beenz, CyberCash, Bitpass, Peppercoin and DigiCash, it's probably because you lost money investing in them" (Source)

RJ now has sex education where they sign pledge cards pledging not to have pre-marital sex. Ugh.

Friend: "I think feminists, like racial minorities enjoy discrimination towards them but make a bitch of a scene at the first sign of prejudice against."

I talked to someone who'd studied in Japan for 9 months, and he said when you first meet Jap girls they talk in a high voice, but later when you know them better and you're at the bar they will talk in their natural voice.

In the past few years I've seen more guys with long hair, but they tend to be one or both of: 1) Above 40 (so the slavemasters don't touch them), 2) In non-professional jobs (hawkers, delivery boys, grasscutters - few are in officewear)

Someone who was from one of the NUS Sports Club's Sub-clubs said that a lot of girls' photos had gotten stolen (including hers) (this is a followup to this post)

I think manual cars are popular in Europe, and automatic ones in the US, partly because fuel is cheap in the latter.

There's a place called "Inaccessible Island" *facepalm*

From @lucian: "migration.com.sg leads to Australia Migration Agency."


I was at Zam Zam at 10+ and they claimed they ran out of Kosong Prata. Wth: how is that possible?!

Great, there're separate Wikipedia entries for Roti prata and Roti canai. They say prata has more variations because Malaysians are poor. Hoho

Someone on Malay food: "it's better in sg cooked by a combi of chinese and indos than in malaysia. Mind, i've had my experience confirmed by malaysian malays. Ghafar baba used to have takeaways of nasi lemak, rendang and suchlike from singapore weekly. Apparently malay food in sg is made with a greater emphasis on freshness and quality of ingredients, hence the better result."

"Vote early and vote often." - Al Capone

***

u r wt u wr:

- 'Sexy is always in style' (14 year old)
- 'Hidden treasure'
- 'Sweet sweet sweet sweet'
- 'Ride me *picture of motorbike*'
- 'Don't make me cry'
- 'Live is the gift for you'
- 'Sweet face'
- 'Some girls are born lucky'
- 'Love my bones'
- 'I'm not short. I'm fun size'
- '*Picture of Rhino* *something* so horny'
- 'Have you HUGGED my t-shirt today?'
- 'Naughty girl'
- 'Sleeping alone' (The girl was 13 or so)
- 'Curiosity myriad'
- 'BE | AU' ('|' represents a dotted line, which ran down her cleavage)
- 'Give me more'
- 'Kiss me *Mouse talking to cat*'
- 'Fuck you my love'
- 'Need so much'
- 'Bad girls (we love)
- '*thought bubble from an entity like Mickey Mouse* You sure know how to warm a man's heart'
- 'Free VIP pass'
- 'Dreams do come true if you're hot'
- 'Bizarre must. Awesome want'
- 'Wanna play? Espirit sports'
- 'TKGS. 3E9, 4E9. We know you're looking'
- 'I love a good time' (about 15 years old)
- 'Love is the gift for you'
- 'Latin dancers do it better'
- 'If only... guys are as nice as chocolate' (~8 year old)

- 'Please tell your pants it's not polite to point' (Guy)
- 'Angry chicks do it better' (Guy)

MFTTW explained to me the long and complicated story about Raffles Guys' belts, waists, hips and their confluence with shorts. That explained a lot and solved one of the mysteries of the universe. Hurrah!

If you want to wear ugly white underwear with multi-coloured polka dots you shouldn't wear jeans so low that 1/3 your underwear is exposed (this is much worse than butt cracks)

"Speak the truth, but leave immediately after." - Slovenian Proverb

***

Someone's suggestion as to why women go to the toilet so much: to fart (corroborating evidence)

"Gauche", "awkward", "adroit" and "dexterity" all have etymologies which disparage left-handers - clear evidence of linguistic bigotry. Lucky there's no left-handed lobby around.

I saw a trailer for Cicakman 2: Planet Hitam. God. The special effects were of a standard belonging to the early 90s.

Van Houten's new trick: 'Coca Butter Equivalent Vegetable Fat'. Bastards.

I swear Häagen-Dazs used to have an ad which went: "the most fun you can have in a tub: with your clothes on". However, I can't find it online, and as everyone knows, if you cant find something online it means it doesn't exist; a friend of mine who worked there in 2005 remembers it, so maybe both of us are delusional. [Someone: i only remember the "three words a woman loves to hear the most: another scoop, miss?"]

Mayor Quimby sounds like JFK.

Back Bacon was 1.69/100g and streaky 1.79/100g at Giant. There is something wrong with this world.

Someone said that the RGS 10 year reunion in 2007 was very interesting because it was very bitchy. The girls had been working for 2 years, and many were engaged, married or had kids. And there were boasts like "my surgeon boyfriend got me this". In contrast, the RI 10 year reunion was alright because everyone had just started working.


"I'm aware that there are "biblical issues", otherwise known as obfuscation and tautology."

"Your account has been violated !!!‏" - From a phishing scam. They need to try harder.

"Every cloud has a bolt of lightning" - My take on silver linings

"NUS in general takes a very 'Singaporean' or 'Chinese' approach to learning. Lots of mugging, staring at charts and formulae, etc. I have a friend who went to Oxford for undergrad studies. He did his Master's degree in NUS, and he was not used to the heavy workload." - Hurr hurr

"I once had a conversation with someone who used to work for the government in Singapore. They said that true emigration was running (a few years ago) at about 40,000 people per year - or about 1% of the population of native born Singaporeans leaving per year. That is huge. It implies that a majority of Singaporeans would leave in the course of their lifetimes. This is a country that faces a future without a core of natives. (That is the figure I remember her telling me...she was speaking of a time when the populatio was lower than now (fewer imports yet) so that 1% is about right.) If her comment is remotely near the truth then Singapore has a very real problem with keeping its people." - Hurr hurr x2


The Middle East seems to be the only place in the (semi-)developed world where specifying what gender/nationality you want for a job is acceptable.

Science and engineering graduates do not need a work permit to work in the UK, and are exempt from the "Europeans first" employment policy HURR HURR (it seems to be a EU-wide rule; presumably there's a loophole where science and engineering graduates can clean toilets)


Pressing "Ctrl + C" in Windows message boxes that don't seem to let you to select the text inside is supposed to work in copying their contents to the clipboard. It doesn't work for me

Ctrl + Shift + X - the hotkey I've recently discovered which screws my text into Bi-Di every now and then (it liquefies in Photoshop).

Someone with a Macbook commented that the Macbook was very bad at getting onto wireless networks, and when he installed Windows it was okay - so it was a software issue.

"Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind." - E. B. White

***

ImageMagick is image manipulation software using the command line. It must've started as a sick joke.

One of the nasty things about the HIV virus is that it messes with your testosterone level, so when you first get infected and are the most infectious, you'll be the most horny and thus more likely to transmit it.

Occasionally you will see in Singapore a car with a pseudo-EU license plate (examples). I saw one which was a FAIL - the letters representing the EU country were "GER". Presumably they wanted a German one, hurr hurr.

Someone translated "黄河风情" as "Amorous Feelings for the Yellow River". Sounds like a bad Google Translate job to me. I'd plump for "Feelings Invoked by the Yellow River" (a less literal translation would be "Yellow River Fantasy").

To apply for Web-Fax.com, which lets you send faxes online, you need to fax them an application. DUH

I got called Miss - by a mover with a ponytail. HAHA. Maybe it was because his hair wasn't as nice as mine.

I saw a girl pushing a wheelchair and an old woman walking beside her. On the wheelchair was shopping. Gah.

I saw a CHIJ girl whose nametag read 'Angel'. If I had the opportunity to name a kid, I'd choose some funky name like 'Cherubim'.

If you have Muslims on a winning F1 team (or indeed any event which involves Champagne), what happens? Sparkling grape juice?

Quickbites's Japanese ice milk tea tastes like teh peng. Ugh.

I'm told some tudung-ed women can stick their phones inside their veils and talk hands-free. That's a very useful trick.

"If there's one thing having been in RGS didn't teach me, it's that it's perfectly ok not to win an argument and to let others have the last word." (Hurr hurr)

I'm very sad that the US Presidential Election is over, since we won't hear conservatives making accusations of sexism (half) as often as liberals anymore.


HWMNBN, who's worked under women bosses for the first 5 years of his career, said all men and women he'd asked said they'd rather work with and under men than women.

Just as bilateral or multilateral trade pacts can result in trade diversion instead of trade creation (instead of trading with third parties, they trade with each other), I'm wondering if the EU labour market results in job diversion instead of job creation, since it's easier to hire someone from within the EU than a non-EU national/resident.

"This paperback is very interesting, but I find it will never replace a hardcover book - it makes a very poor doorstop." - Alfred Hitchcock

***

Facebook | I was/am/will be from RI and/or RJC, not RI(S) and/or RI(JC)!

"It has been recently announced in the news at 13th October 2008 that Raffles Institution (RI) and Raffles Junior College (RJC) will merge to become a single institution. The merged institution will be called "Raffles Institution", with the current RI to be called "Raffles Institution (Secondary) (RI(S))" and the current RJC to be called "Raffles Institution (Junior College) (RI(JC))". Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) will retain its identity as a premier girls' school, while continuing to work closely with the merged institution.

While we acknowledge the benefits that can be reaped from the merger, we are opposing the merger of RI and RJC on several grounds:

1. Without proper consultation with the majority of the key stakeholders (especially students) of the two schools, the authorities of both schools went ahead with the decision for a merger with RI and RJC.

2. The change in names of the two schools after the merger erodes the rich heritage of the two schools, especially the name "Raffles Institution (Secondary)", which the current RI would adopt.

3. Lack of transparency. The details of the merger are not given in full to the key stakeholders of the school who were being asked during focus discussions, namely the staff, students, parents and alumni of the two schools, thus rendering them incapable of making honest, informed decisions about the merger. Moreover, the details of the merger are not clearly mentioned to the students even when the merger was announced.

4. If RGS can continue to work closely with the same degree of interconnectedness with the current RI and RJC without a merger, why is it the case that RI and RJC need a merger to take a step further in collaboration? If RGS can operate separately without merging with the two other Raffles schools, RI and RJC can also operate separately while having a greater degree of interconnectedness in various areas such as academic, non-academic and corporate areas. Although greater collaboration is desired, merger is not necessary in achieving these objectives.

5. Adolescent males should study in a homogeneous environment to maximize their potential, just like adolescent females. The current RI, an all-boys school, should remain separate from the current RJC, a heterogeneous school, in order to maintain the excellence RI has achieved in its 185 years of history.

6. The current RI and the current RJC have distinct and unique school cultures, thus a merger would cause the loss of the unique cultures the two schools have, and lead to a homogeneous culture, which is not desirable as people of different ages are suited to different school environments.

We appreciate the efforts the two school administrations have made to improve the collaboration between the two schools, and we acknowledge that the two schools have their reasons for the merger. However, we feel that a merger between the two schools is not a wise decision and we wish to be given more say in the running of the school."

XXIX. Musica Musarum germana
chorique magistra,
Iaetificare solum nata beare polum,
extimulat tua victrices, taratantara, dextras.
inde tibi merito palma suprema datur.
non Musac, tibi, non Musarum praeses Apollo.
non ipsae Charites praeripuere locum.
Divas fatalis, reliquas manet exitus. at tu
coelicolis dempto fine colenda viges.
vivat io exhilarans humanas Musica mentes.
vivac io summo, Musica grata Deo.


(Oddly enough, Microsoft Office Document Imaging performed much better than Readiris Pro 11 on this)

"The only thing worse than a man you can't control is a man you can." - Margo Kaufman

***

Someone: you might want to buy a copy of today's TST
there's a long article about the bishan gay

Me: thank you

what does it say haha

Someone: it shows the guy's face
and his name

Me: ERR
wth are they doing

Someone: it should put an end to the rumours of you being him

Me: no it wont. people are idiots

Someone: supposedly he's an old boy of RI
and he likes taking pictures of RI boys because he likes his alma mater

Me: haha I'm on page 5 of google results for bishan gay
and still I get so many of these idiots

Someone: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_265637.html

...

Me: some RI boys took pictures with him

Someone: LOL
lol!
lol

what if there was a Scotts les
who took pictures of RGS girls
I wonder what would happen

Me: 'I never read blogs because they are not examples of true objective journalism '
pfft

Someone: as opposed to... TST?
lol

Me: 'Mr Cheng, who is single, did not bat an eyelid.'
he told one ri boy he was married

("He's a nice dude!... he's actually married, with a daughter in an overseas university... KFC is 'his office'. Unfortunately, we didn't ask him about that smile on his face (at little boys). But he's a nice guy!"

Picture same boy and some friends took with the Bishan Gay - how brave!)

Someone: oh
lol

Me: 'That Tuesday, he snapped pictures with his camera phone while in the restaurant - where he sat for four hours nursing two cups of tea.'
scenery ah

'Here he spent half an hour before taking the same bus service again, this time, in the opposite direction, taking snapshots both at the bus stop and on the packed bus full of students from RI and Hwa Chong Institution.'

Someone: he's mostly harmless

Me: HAHA WHY IS TST STALKING PEOPLE

Someone: investigative journalism ftw

Me: 'By Chong Chee Kin, Crime Correspondent'
wonderful


Someone else: do you know
he was at RV concert on tuesday
lol


Screenshot of article:


Article text:

"Bishan lensman draws Net
They focus on his eccentric behaviour in taking photos, said to be of young people
By Chong Chee Kin, Crime Correspondent

*Picture*
Mr Daniel Cheng (above) hangs out at fast-food restaurants at Junction 8 mall for hours, taking pictures with his cellphone. Numerous blogs on the Internet have been discussing his eccentric behaviour.But Mr Cheng says he takes pictures of only Bishan's scenery. LIM WUI LIANG/THE STRAITS TIMES

PART-TIME tutor Daniel Cheng is a familiar face at fast-food outlets in Bishan's Junction 8 mall.

The 46-year-old is the man seated at one end of the restaurant, be it KFC or McDonald's, for hours on end. His reverie is broken occasionally when he picks up his camera phone and appears to train it on the restaurant patrons.

His antics have not gone unnoticed.

Marcus Lin, 17, from the nearby technical institute, who hangs out at the mall, said: 'We try to avoid him. Everyone here knows him. He's always there, listening to his CD player and taking pictures with his (mobile) phone.'

Mr Cheng has attracted no small measure of Internet infamy as well, with numerous blogs giving details of his eccentric behaviour. There are even videos posted on YouTube of him in action, which attracted close to 1,000 eyeballs.

The comments are hardly flattering, with netizens, mostly students, giving him the moniker 'Bishan gay' because of his odd behaviour.

When The Straits Times caught up with him late last month, the stocky man covered his mouth with his hands and chortled when told about the blogs.

'I'm not aware of these at all, I'm not a celebrity. I never read blogs because they are not examples of true objective journalism,' he said.

Not once did he ask about what was written about him online. Nor was he curious to find out who the bloggers were.

Even when told of what had been said about him and his anointed nickname, Mr Cheng, who is single, did not bat an eyelid.

Dismissing it with a wave of his hand, he said he was not bothered by the accusations because they were all 'untrue'.

'I'm not a celebrity or anyone famous. What can I do about them anyway? A lawsuit costs a lot of money and it takes a few years before it can be completed. By the end of it, I will be so drained.'

He was told that people could be discomfited by his behaviour of snapping pictures and recording videos of strangers.

No, that could not be the case, Mr Cheng insisted. 'I am taking pictures of only Bishan's scenery. I love Bishan and I feel very attached to the place, which is why I still come back here after moving to Ang Mo Kio,' he said.

Another reason: He said he is attached to his alma mater, Raffles Institution (RI), which moved from Grange Road to its present Bishan campus in 1990.

When contacted, RI deputy headmaster Kenneth Kwok said the school was aware that the boys knew of Mr Cheng.

'We do not encourage our boys to engage in any name calling. We also emphasise to our boys the need for personal safety when they interact with any strangers,' he said.

Mr Cheng claimed to know many RI boys, attending alumni functions and fund-raising fun fairs. He is often seen wearing T-shirts linked to the school.

'I feel responsible for these boys, and I just want to guide and help them if they need it,' he said, when asked why he was still so involved with the school after so many years.

No one, he said, had ever told him off to his face.

That might be the case, but talking behind his back is a favourite pastime of those in the area.

The Straits Times observed him for nearly six hours on a Tuesday starting from 10am till about 4pm, at a fast-food outlet at Junction 8 mall and on bus service 156.

He seemed oblivious to the attention he attracted.

Some teenagers gave him a wide berth at the restaurant.

Others pointed him out to their friends and spoke in hushed voices about how he was always hanging around in the area. Some even chided their friends for sitting near him.

Andrew Chan, 16, was one of the students who spotted him at Bishan and told the two friends he was with to sit far away from the man.

If Mr Cheng was aware of the students' discomfort, he did not show it.

That Tuesday, he snapped pictures with his camera phone while in the restaurant - where he sat for four hours nursing two cups of tea.

He then headed to the nearby coffee shop, for about 20 minutes, where he had lunch and carried on taking more photos.

He boarded bus service 156 outside Bishan MRT, got off three stops later near Mount Alvernia Hospital and crossed the road to the bus stop by MacRitchie Reservoir.

Here he spent half an hour before taking the same bus service again, this time, in the opposite direction, taking snapshots both at the bus stop and on the packed bus full of students from RI and Hwa Chong Institution.

After alighting in Ang Mo Kio, he was last seen crossing the road once more for the opposite bus stop.

Altogether, The Straits Times saw him take at least 19 photos during the day.

He certainly got an eyeful of Bishan.

cheekin@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Tan Wei Zhao

Some blog entries

SMILES ARE OK

'I know he smiles at boys, perhaps that is because he was from RI, and liked the times he had there... Looks are deceiving, it is the heart that counts. A smile brightens up the world.'

Sajer, author of The Forgotten Realm

HE'S A 'CELEBRITY'

'I saw the infamous Bishan Gay today... wanted to ask him for his autograph, like I mean, not everyday do you meet someone whom everyone else in your whole school and also in the whole district knows right?'

Ron, author of Ronnnnn

TOO MANY TIMES

'I hate to confess but I've encountered him enough times to give me goosebumps. '

Alif, author of My Soliloquy

A NICE 'DUDE'

'I spoke to the Bishan Gay today! What can I say? He's a nice dude. Now upon first glance, you would expect him to speak Chinese... But no! He speaks good English and has proper train of thought!'

Qing Huang, author of thegreenyellow"

I'm not sure if this Guestbook entry is supposed to be a joke:

Name: ri
E-mail: usuck@usuck.com
Message: i noe ur bishan gay man ur child pics prove it. so gabriel or daniel u can fk off and ouuta ri peeps' lives!

"Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge." - Paul Gauguin

***

Someone: i think emotional/romantic relationships can be quite separate from physical relationships what.
men or women... hmm... ithink after trying both women better lah.

therein you see the problem.. you can't have real relationships with other women. they are so emotionalyl complicated.

and demanding


Someone else: (what were the pple thinking?! lipstick in an exam welfare pack??
"I need to look my best for the exam! Hey this lipstick will come in handy"


Someone: i tell people i used to read Gray's anatomy in RI library when i was free.

they ask me "huh. got book already?"


JB: you're nice?

haha i was going to say 'don't delude yourself'
but you really are


My Toy: wad does LDPVTP stands for

Me: lying deluded psychotic vindictive treacherous person

My Toy: wah

Me: see
'my toy' isn't so bad after all haha

My Toy: omg

Me: how do you know it's a girl :P

My Toy: cos u only label girls as psychotic

Me: AAHHAHAHAAH


LDPVTP on the above: if she becomes my girlfriend i'll have the last laugh ;)

Me: wth
why would she become your girlfriend

LDPVTP: exactly.

Me: ???
non sequitur

LDPVTP: nothing is eternal.

Me: !@#$

I'd call you LDPVTIP
I for Irrational
but that doesn't add much value, considering how many women are irrational ;)


Someone: my boyfriend ordered [a stuffed toy] from ***
then when it arrived... he thought it would be fun to mail it to me again

Me: .........................

are you impressed?

Someone: eh.. it's a birthday present

i think it's a bit silly, but i'm impressed he did all that just because he thought it would impress me haha

Me: that warrants half of a "... women"

Someone: dont understand

Me: ... women
is my traditional expression of disdain

you are impressed
but you think it's a bit silly
so you get a reduced amount of disdain :P

Someone: i think under normal circumstances i would think it is very silly

but it's my boyfriend and it's kind of romantic
plus it's a great waste of money

Me: shouldn't you be upset then

Someone: but romance is dumb anyway

i dunno

i am torn between being upset and happy haha
but i decided to be happy since it's my birthday

Me: gah

Someone: you are very unromantic

hahahahhaha
i shall say that once and for all

Me: well I'm not attached
so I have the prerogative to scorn the silly things lovers do

Someone: yah go ahead

i used to do that too

i used to say i'll end up one of those grumpy old ladies in parks who throw bricks at amorous couples


Someone else: i have FOUR RI badges
hahahhaha

Me: HAHA
wth
why

Someone else: i have an RI obsessionhave the exercise book, pe shirt and badge

but only today i find
that i have FOUR badges

Me: did you hook up with an RI boy? :P

Someone else: no i did not.
RI boys make lousy bfs

Me: lol
why

Someone else: toooo ego

challenging to sustain conversation
not on a friendly basis of course

non-romantic convo is one of the best i've got actually
hahah

Me: hahahahaha
cos they know how to do stuff
but not how to charm women

Someone else: hahaha how true


SUG: it's not good manners to compare cup sizes with a girl
there's no comparison